Worker tried to poison colleagues

Worker tried to poison colleagues

Allen said he was in dispute with the company and his colleagues

A man from Greater Manchester has been put on probation after he admitted trying to poison three work colleagues.

Christopher Allen had pleaded guilty to putting rat poison in an office kettle before making drinks for his co-workers.

Allen, 38, was sentenced when he appeared at Bolton Crown Court - he was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service.

Although his colleagues drank their drinks, only one suffered any ill-effects, because much of the poison had failed to dissolve.

The court heard earlier that Allen had put the poison in the kettle at a branch of Autoglass on Manchester Road, Bolton, on 27 May last year.

One of the victims suffered stomach pains... it was fortunate that the symptoms were not worse

Detective sergeant Ian Paterson

He later pleaded guilty to three counts of administering poison to cause injury or annoyance.

Allen, of Nookfields, Harwood, Greater Manchester, told the court he had been in a dispute with the company and his colleagues.

The two men and a woman for whom he made the drinks raised the alarm when they found undissolved pellets of the rat poison at the bottom of their mugs.

The court heard Allen confessed to what he had done when the trio challenged him.

'Serious consequences'

After the sentencing Detective sergeant Ian Paterson from Bolton CID said: "This was a very dangerous and reckless act.

"Rat poison contains a blood thinning agent, and if any of them had been on medication, this could have resulted in very serious consequences.

"One of the victims suffered stomach pains after drinking the poison, and it was fortunate that the symptoms were not worse."

Allen was put on probation for a year and also ordered to pay £250 court costs.